MAYVILLE – Rural Minds, a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to serve as an informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide health information and resources to mental health, today announced the launch of a comprehensive online resource center to provide actionable mental health information. The material is designed to address the unique challenges facing rural Americans and offers information that anyone can use at no charge to help address the growing mental health crisis in rural communities.
The Rural Mental Health Resilience Program is a partnership with the National Grange, one of America’s oldest nonprofit, nonpartisan, fraternal organizations founded in 1867 to promote rural America and agriculture. The Program was launched today, National Rural Health Day, at two industry events. Leadership from Rural Minds will introduce programming at The Annual National Grange Convention in Niagara Falls, NY, and the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) Trade Talk event in Kansas City, MO. Rural Americans across the country are encouraged to access program materials and raise awareness that rural health includes mental health now and throughout the coming year.
“There is a mental health emergency in rural communities across the US,” said Jeff Winton, founder and chairman of Rural Minds. “For example, people living in rural areas have higher depression and suicide rates but less access to mental health care services compared to people living in urban areas.
“The free online resources available through the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program are available to all grassroots organizations and individuals across the country,” Winton said. “Our goal is to provide information that can lead to lasting positive change by giving rural residents the tools they need to address mental health and provide hope for the future.”
Program material topics include overcoming the stigma associated with mental illness, common myths about rural mental health and suicide as well as conversation starters to discuss mental health in a friend or loved one.
“The partnership between Rural Minds and the National Grange is amazing,” said Betsy Huber, president of the National Grange. “We are happy to see local Granges opening themselves up to these difficult conversations. Grange members across the country are helping to influence public opinion as we work together to break harmful stereotypes about seeking help. Mental illness deserves to be treated with the same respect as any other illness or disease.”
All materials are available at ruralminds.org/resilience and can be easily downloaded and copied. There is no charge for any program material.
ABOUT RURAL MINDS
Rural Minds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to serve as a voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources. Our vision is a rural America where there is no more suffering, silence, or stigma of mental illness.
For more information about Rural Minds, please visit our website at www.RuralMinds.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GRANGE
Since 1867, the National Grange has brought individuals and families together to support their communities and advocate for rural America and agriculture. Our nonprofit, nonpartisan, fraternal organization has more than 140,000 members in 1,500 communities nationwide. The Grange is a leading advocacy organization for rural Americans, where members provide millions of service hours and funding dollars to support the needs of their towns identified through our process of land.
